Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-10-14
ROGER LAROQUB.
Adapted and Translated from tho French
of Jules Mary.
BY OLIVE HARPER.


his precious burden he took passage for New
York, where he stayed but short time and
then went to Canada. where he went
to work in a machine shop with a
sort of avidity, hoping to regain fortune
and return to France with the one pur-
pose of discovering the mystery of the
drama of the Vile dAvray.
Such energetic and intelligent labor was
bound to achieve its result, and one after an
other Roger made three important inventions
in the making and management of steel. He
returned to New York, and he succeeded with
his inventions beyond his most sanguine
hopes, and he found himself in the possession
of reasonable fortune, with every reason to
believe that it would grow and multiply into
more than he should ever need.
While here Roger met with an accident,
which disfgurel him 50 greatly that he felt
almost as if it were a special providence lie
had rushed to assist in saving some people
whose escape from a burning building was
cut Off, and after having brought them down
TO the street in safety, a burning timber fell,
striking him on the left side Of the face, and
burning it SO that the scar which remained
almost destroyed the entire symmetry and
color Of that side Of his face.
@ He moved away from that place and again
returned to New York, only now he bore the
name of William Forney, and Suzanne in n
few years seemed to forget that she had ever
had another name. But did she really for
get: Roger felt sure she had, for daring
these whole ten years she had never made the
slightest mention, nor given one look that
might give rise to a suspicion that She re-
membered. SO Rogers mind was easy on
that score
One day Roger said to her quite unexpect-
eddy:
Suzanne, we are going to leave New York
and 60 to Paris, place You know nothing of.
What do You say"
II shall like TO go whenever you do, father;
no matter where it isn
She said that calmly, and nothing in her
face showed a hidden thought, yet, after
Roger had gone out, her face saddened, and
a retrospective look came into the depths Of
her lovely violet eyes.
They reached Paris, and Roger went boldly
about, knowing himself unrecognizable, and
on a solid footing as far as his identity was
concerned. He was received as u rich Ameri-
can Canadian who had made his fortune by
inventions relating to Steel
Roger went everywhere, and no one knew
him. He passed the very judges who had
GueSulOnCU Mn, le went 10 lne concierge OF
his old apartment where Julia had left the
fatal money, and where he had lived so long
but the concierge answered his tIiaing ques-
tions as if to a stranger. He went to his old fac
tory. No one knew him. His uncle, Ber-
nardit, had sold the factory just before his
death, which took place some two years be-
fore, and Rogers heart drew him toward the
old place 1t was the hour for dinner, and thu
LODI ast hut III h,x,
looked curiously at the man standing there,
none of them knew him, though he could
have called them nearly all by name.
This and the regret caused by the death of
old NJ Bernardo and his wife saddened
Roger greatly. This noble and kind old
couple had invented story about having
put Suzanne in convent school, and the
neighbors never questioned its truth So
everything conspired to aid Roger in his new
life
One day Roger told Suzanne to not feel
uneasy if he was not home as early as
usual, that he wished to look at some coun-
try houses and might be detained This was
while they were still at the Hotel Scribe.
The truth was that he wished to wait until
night fell and go to Vile d'Avray and kneel
by poor Henriettes grave, which he had
never seen, but which was holy ground &c
him.
All the late afternoon he wandered about
the little village into the woods behind and
beyond the house where he had lived. The
house was closed and the beautiful garden
had run to weeds. Desolation and neglect
were marked upon the place, and Roger
could not bear the sight of his once charm
ing home thu, gone to decay He wandered
to the edge OF the town TO the little grave
yard but until night fell he dared not go I,
the tomb he searched. The moon rose anC
by its light I've discovered a grave SURROUNDED
by an iron grating, and on the marble cross
hidden by weeds that grew rank over thu
poor martyr beneath, he found the name o
his wife He sank down and laying his fac
on the cold damp grass wept for his youn:
wife, whose death lOw seemed more real t,
him than it ever had before He gathered
handful of the rank, coarse weeds and kisSe(
them and placed them in his pocket and ros
to 90, with heavy heart, for she had deC
believing him guilty. He had turned to 60
when he thought he saw a woman's figur
moving among the graves. His heart stoo
still, and he looked with wild eyes toward In
phantom, if such it was. He watched an
she walked from one grave to another
searching everywhere and looking at all tn
inscriptions on the stones as She went,
His heart stopped beating, as something i
her walk or movement told him that it wa
his daughter, though a long cloak and hoo
drawn closely over her face completely h
her from view
If it was suzanne, then she had forgotte
nothing She knew all, and for ten lon
years had 50 dissimulated that he was CT
tirely deceived, III spite of all the efforts h
had made to discover her mind.
His emotion was so strong that he wa
obliged TO seat himself upon a tombstone nm
wipe away the thick drops Of cold swea
from his forehead.
Il will know If it is She" said he; Il mus
know. If it is really Suzanne she will 60 I
her mothers tomb"
As he was about to 60 back, there, near hin
stood the sauIe dark shadow going toward ii
gate.
MADAME, mademoi,elle, for PHYS sake, OF
word
The shadow heard, but that voice frigh
ened her, for she began to run swiftly an
disappeared from view.
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